Kavem Hodge's ton leads West Indies' fightback on Day 3

West Indies have found some big players to step up during the tour of New Zealand. If it was Justin Greaves in Christchurch with a double-hundred, it was Kavem Hodge today. The Dominican brought up his second Test hundred and remains undefeated on 109 as West Indies avoided the follow-on late on Day 3 to give West Indies a chance of saving this Test match. The visitors are still 194 runs adrift off New Zealand's 575 for 8, currently at 381 for 6.

The West Indian openers looked to carry on from their good start but Jacob Duffy tempted John Campbell into a booming drive through the covers but only nicked off to slip without adding any runs to his overnight score. The hosts put some early pressure on the visitors but Hodge broke the shackles with three boundaries in a span of nine deliveries. Despite this, Duffy struck for the second time in the first hour removing Brandon King who played across the line. After drinks, Hodge upped the ante with three successive fours off Michael Rae. Tevin Imlach had started slowly getting off the mark off his 15th ball before playing a lovely drive over long-on off Ajaz Patel for six before the bowler overcorrected and Imlach punched the overpitched delivery to the fence.

The duo brought up the 50-run stand and soon after Hodge moved to 50 as the visitors also moved past 200 on the stroke of Lunch. After the break, New Zealand began with two maidens before a lapse in concentration from Imlach saw him nick a ball outside off-stump into the mitts of the 'keeper. Hodge was joined fellow Dominican cricketer Alick Athanaze who began with a streakish boundary towards fine-leg. With Hodge staying sturdy at one end, Athanaze began to score most of the runs heading into the drinks break. He found four boundaries off Ajaz and Glenn Phillips within the space of eight balls but was dismissed in the most unusual fashion.

Athanaze who had worked his way to 45 by then, looked to pad one drifting down leg away off Ajaz but the ball flew off the inner half of his right leg and dislodged the bails. It was Ajaz Patel's first Test wicket at home after 22 Tests Hodge and Justin Greaves found some timely boundaries heading towards Tea as the West Indies moved past 300. New Zealand took the second new ball immediately once it became available with Duffy finding some movement. But the West Indian duo took the team to Tea at 310 for 4.

Two balls after the break, Hodge nailed a pull to the fence while Greaves creamed two drives through the offside with all the boundaries coming off Zakary Foulkes. Greaves continued to time the ball superbly finding boundaries in quick time as the hosts began to look worried. But against the run of play, Greaves missed a nip-backer which rapped him onto the pads to be given LBW, and took a review along with him. In a good passage of play for the hosts, Ajaz dismissed the captain Roston Chase for two while Hodge chipped one in the air which fell just short of the mid-off fielder. Anderson Phillip and Hodge then copped some blows to the body off Michael Rae before Hodge, who was in the nineties, for 32 deliveries finally brought up his second Test hundred on the stroke of Stumps.

The duo took them to Stumps without further harm at 381 for 6, still 194 runs adrift.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 575 (Devon Conway 227, TOm Latham 137; Justin Greaves 2-83) lead West Indies 381 for 6 (Kavem Hodge 109*, Brandon King 63; Jacob Duffy 2-79, Ajaz Patel 2-94) by 194 runs.